Two weeks after a downpour shut a local stretch of the Erie Canal, repairs on the waterway are just about done. But this week's planned reopening may be delayed if a new storm causes damage, state Canal Corp. officials said Wednesday evening.

If the rainfall that's called for in the forecast, officials said, the closed section between Lock 8 in Scotia and Lock 15 in Fort Plain won't reopen at 8 a.m. Friday, as announced earlier Wednesday, and more section closures are probable.

The Canal Corp. advised mariners that the removal of lower gates of movable dams between Scotia and Fort Plain may start Thursday, in which case "vessels on the upper pools of these locks may become grounded as water levels recede well below normal navigation levels in the coming days."

Shane Mahar, Canal Corp. deputy director of media relations and communications, said staff and contractors had been working "day in, day out" since the downpour on June 11 to reopen the system and let vessels continue their travels.

When the storm hit, both Troy-based C.D. Perry and Son and Tioga Construction of Herkimer were working on the canal as a part of a $28 million project to replace gates that extend into the water to control water levels.

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"Two contractors already were on the water, with floating barges and cranes. They had the equipment necessary to do the repairs on shorelines and on our locks," Mahar said. "The crews were able to quickly turn around from doing mitigation project work to start doing repair work."

High water and excessive current damaged parts of the dam that had not yet been replaced, but the mitigation work already done came through the flooding unscathed, according to Mahar.

"We're beefing up the movable dams that are there, and putting in stronger steel. We're rebuilding the uprights that control the gates," Mahar said. "We're making them stronger so under emergency situations or high flow events we can pull them out of the water faster and safer."

"It's still a dangerous operation, but the stronger steel and components we are installing will make it a safer operation."

Some boats remained secured in the locked chambers, including crafts at the locks in Amsterdam and Waterford, and canal employees assisted people who experienced an unplanned stay in the Capital Region.

"During this process," he said, "we've provided them with generators, electricity, water, bathrooms, and rides to grocery stores and pharmacies to make their stay as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances."